Cupmena

Based in Cairo, Egypt, Cupmena operates within the agri-tech and waste management sectors, focusing on creating a circular economy for spent coffee grounds (SCGs).

The company was founded in February 2019 by Mohamed Abdelgawad (CEO) and Abdulrhman Elhalafawy (CBO). The idea originated when the founders, both avid coffee drinkers, questioned a barista about the fate of used coffee grounds and discovered they were simply discarded. This realization prompted them to explore the potential of this organic waste, leading to the creation of Cupmena. The founders possess a background and passion for waste management, the circular economy, and biotechnology, supported by a board of advisors.

Cupmena's business model is centered around collecting SCGs from coffee chains, thereby providing a waste management solution that helps these partners reduce disposal costs and enhance their sustainability profiles. Partners have included major chains like Costa and Dunkin. The collected grounds are then repurposed as a primary soil to cultivate different types of mushrooms. This method is efficient, allowing mushrooms to grow in six weeks instead of the typical three months. The resulting mushrooms are then sold to both B2B and B2C customers. The company's primary revenue stream, accounting for about 80% of income, is from mushroom sales.

Beyond mushrooms, Cupmena is developing a portfolio of other products from the waste stream. The used mushroom soil is processed into organic fertilizers, and the company is also researching the production of animal feeds and soil enhancers. A secondary part of their model involves distributing SCGs as a raw material to other startups and student projects for further product innovation. Looking forward, Cupmena plans to leverage the data collected on waste management to offer a subscription-based reporting service to its coffee chain partners and explore opportunities in the carbon credit market.

Keywords: circular economy, waste management, agri-tech, spent coffee grounds, mushroom cultivation, organic fertilizer, sustainable agriculture, waste-to-value, Egypt, MENA, B2B, coffee waste recycling, bio-solutions, food production, environmental impact, carbon footprint reduction, soil enhancers, animal feed, Costa, Dunkin